Author's Note: Tho Fan, or "Old Tongue," will be translated in parentheses.
Chapter 2
The Marvelous Dragonfly soared through the eternally snowing climate of the Land of the Howling Spirits located in the Hills of the Six Holy Scrolls province. Even after twenty years, it was impossible to forget the memories that this place brought for Wild Flower and Kang. They were there to witness firsthand the seemingly unending swarm of Sun Li's Golem army advancing towards the defiled monastery of Dirge. It was an ordeal that they'd been certain that they would not survive; yet somehow they had.
"I think I can see Dirge from here, Kang," Wild Flower pointed at a distant spot of brown and white at the top of the highest peak. "Not much has changed, has it?"
"Indeed it hasn't. I never thought I would find myself coming back her out of my own free will," Kang said, pulling several levers to steady the Dragonfly for a landing. "Hopefully, things will be a bit more tame this time around."
Wild Flower nodded in agreement. She looked back and saw Han Sing sleeping soundly on a mat. He deserved the rest after all he had been through in the Imperial Palace. There was nothing better to do than to sleep during the several-hour flight from the Imperial City to Dirge. The Dragon Amulet was resting in one of his hands. Wild Flower leaned over and picked it up. She ran her fingers around the frame of the artifact of gold. Wild Flower's eyes flared a blue glow.
(We did it, child,) Chai Ka said from within the girl. (The amulet is back in our hands.)
The blue light dimmed back to her natural eye color. "Yes…but it seems to keep falling into the wrong hands. I'm amazed something this small can be so powerful."
(Do not be troubled, child, our friend here has done well and the Celestial Bureaucracy will be pleased.)
"I know," Wild Flower sighed, conceding the point. "But what if it is true? Is the Emperor really dead? Even if his rule is over, it may not be good in the long run, if you know what I mean."
(We'll see.) Chai Ka spoke through Wild Flower. (For now, we must continue our duty and guard Han Sing.)
Wild Flower gripped the amulet for a second longer before placing it back into Sing's hand. She got up and joined Kang at the passenger's seat in the cockpit. Now the bulk of the monastery was almost in full view…
It was in the dead of night and flames were everywhere. The ground was littered with bodies, fallen by the heat of battle and drenched with blood. The bodies were garbed either in the light brown and orange armor that symbolized a soldier of the Imperial Army, or the humble blue robes of the honorable Spirit Monks. Among the living, the two sides clashed, but it was the Spirit Monks that were on the unfortunate end of things. Their numbers were dwindling rapidly by the swarming numbers of the Imperial Army. The screams of death were heard from all directions. The Imperial Army advanced upwards toward a large flight of stairs that led to the main hall of the monastery. The last remaining Spirit Monks were cut down by the swords of their enemies. Two distinguished figures at the frontlines of the Imperial Army, Prince Sun Li and Sun Kin cleared the way for the eldest brother, Emperor Sun Hai. At the top of the stairs were the last of the Spirit Monk Order.
"Come with me!" The younger Spirit Monk called out to the older one. In his arms, he carried a bundle that would point to an infant.
The older Monk, the abbot shook his head. "No, this is my fight! Go!" He turned and leaped towards his adversaries.
With a quick kick, the abbot knocked the masked Sun brother away and nearly did the same to the youngest of the brothers. Regaining his stance, an angry Prince Kin distracted the abbot as the Glorious Strategist proceeded to cut their victim down like the rest of the order.
The last Spirit Monk up the stairs couldn't believe what he just saw.
"NOOOO!"
"Wake up, Sing. We're here!" Kang's voice came from the cockpit.
Han Sing screamed as he awoke from his sleep. It took him a few seconds for his eyes to focus before he realized that he was back in the Dragonfly. But it was no longer in the air. It had landed on an open area right next to a grand set of stairs, the same stairs that he saw in his dream. Cold sweat ran from his brow and his breathing was hard.
Oh…just a dream… he thought in relief.
"What is it, Sing?" Wild Flower rushed to his side with a concerned look. "You were having a nightmare, weren't you?'
Sing wiped the sweat off his face. "Y-yeah. It was terrible, Wild Flower. I had a nightmare of this exact spot here in Dirge. Spirit Monks were dying by the second as the Imperial Army overwhelmed them. Then…"
"The Sun brothers killed the abbot, right?" Wild Flower finished.
Sing nodded. "Yes. Everything happened exactly as you and Kang told me."
Wild Flower turned and glanced at Kang, who shrugged, obviously not knowing what to make of it.
"That is strange, Sing," Wild Flower said. "But how can that be? You've never even been here before and yet you recognize this area of Dirge?"
"Yes, except there was fire and people dying everywhere."
"Hmm…" Wild Flower muttered to herself. "It seems too convenient…"
'Perhaps your little escapade at the Palace has addled your senses with all your kicking and punching?" Kang interrupted.
Sing glared at the eccentric inventor. "You're not helping, Kang."
"Ah sorry, I just wanted to point out the possibility that all that excitement could have triggered something or…ah I don't know…"
"Maybe this place has an effect on people when they are here, like a vision or something," Wild Flower pointed out.
"Maybe, what do you think, Chai Ka?" Sing asked, looking at Wild Flower.
There was a moment of silence. Sing and Wild Flower looked at each other strangely. There was still no answer from the Heavenly Gate Guardian.
"Uh…Chai Ka?" Sing said.
(…I do not know.) Wild Flower's mouth moved for the demon. (But we must not dwell on that. What is important now is that we get what we came for, so let us focus on that for now.)
No one could argue with that. The blue eyes of the girl returned to brown. They were all eager to get right back into their transport and leave this place. But they were here for a reason and they would not leave until they got what they came for. Sing and Wild Flower got up from the floor and made their way off the landing ramp. Wild Flower led the way while Kang and Sing followed. The last time they were here, she was just a girl, not even ten years old. Now the entire monastery looked a tad smaller, possibly due to the fact that she had grown. Nevertheless, the memories remained the same. The three made their way up the stairs. Pieces of his nightmare flashed in Sing's mind as he walked further up, but he shook his thoughts away and focused ahead. The wind was blowing from the west and the sound of the breeze justified the name Land of the Howling Spirits. The three finally reached the top of the stairs. There was a hallway that led downward a few steps before the three made a left turn around the corner. Before them, stood a large set of red double doors.
"Well, here we are," Kang said as the three stopped a few feet in front of the entrance. "They should be here, right?"
"Yeah, I'm sure of it," Sing responded, running a hand through his short jet-black hair. He walked over to one of the doors and pressed his hand flat on the surface. "Let's go."
Han Sing forced the door forward. The door was heavier than it looked as it slowly opened to reveal the main chamber. At the center of the room was stone statue of a dragon; which had water flowing from its mouth onto a small moat that encircled around it. At the far end of the room was a statue paying homage to Chai Ka the Heavenly Gate Guardian. The three moved deeper into the room. On their right was a red portal in the wall, blocked by sharp blades; the portal that led to the Spirit Realm.
"Look! There they are!" Wild Flower exclaimed, pointing the ground in front of the portal. Kang and Sing looked where Wild Flower pointed to see three other bodies lying on the ground. One was a scrawny looking man with a white headband and a dirty apron on his chest. The second was another man who had his hair tied back into a bun and sported a blue outfit. The third was a female wearing a magenta suit that had several ribbons dangling at the torso and her hair was tied back into a ponytail.
Wild Flower, Kang and Sing ran to them and each took one of the fallen in their arms attempting to wake them. Sing got the woman in the magenta up so she laid on his arm and caught a clear view of her face. Sing was stunned at the beauty of this woman, even more so since she is asleep. It reminded him of a sleeping princess, just like the ones in the fairy tales. She had a strong build, indicating that she was physically well trained. Sing broke from his daze and shook her a bit. She made a move as her eyes opened to meet his. She was greeted with a smile, though she still didn't know how to react. It seemed like the first time the opened her eyes.
"You're awake! Are you alright?" Sing said, helping her up to a sitting position. The woman rubbed her head and accepted his support to help her on her feet.
"Wh-where am I?" The woman asked Sing. "Who are you?"
Before Sing could answer, Wild Flower leaped from tending to the man in the blue suit, who has not awaken yet and grabbed the woman by the arms, smiling brightly. "Dawn Star! Oh, thank the gods you're alive!"
Dawn Star's eyes widened. Her eyes darted all around her. "I-I'm alive? How can this be true? Who are you?"
"You don't recognize me, Dawn Star? It's me, Wild Flower!"
Dawn Star narrowed her eyes are the woman in front of her. She then let out a gasp. "Wild Flower? Is that really you? My goodness, you've grown! But how can this be? Am I…free?"
"Yes! So is Hou and Sky!" Wild Flower pointed at the two men still unconscious on the ground with Kang attending to them.
Dawn Star was overwhelmed. "Kang! I'm so glad to see you!"
"Yes, Dawn Star," Kang waved a crooked hand. "It is good to see you well and alive."
"But, how did this happen? How were we freed from the spirit binding?" Dawn Star asked.
Wild Flower turned to Sing, who still stood idly watching old friends reunite. Then he approached the two women. Wild Flower touched Sing's shoulder.
"This man helped us. He's really the reason why you all are free from Kun's grasp."
Sing cupped his fist with his other hand and bowed. "My name is Han Sing. It is a pleasure to meet you, Dawn Star."
Dawn Star returned the gesture. "Han Sing. For what you've done, I am most grateful."
"I know what you're thinking, Dawn Star." Wild Flower jumped in before she could continue. "You must be wondering how exactly he freed you. But let's wake up Hou and Sky first. Once we get ourselves together, then we can all talk more."
"Of course," Dawn Star nodded in agreement. She turned to face Sing. "I am looking forward to knowing more about you, Sing."
"Same at you, Dawn Star," Sing smiled.
The silence of night was calm and soothing for all of them as they camped out by the Dragonfly in the Main Hall at Dirge. The six (or seven counting Chai Ka) sat around a cozy fire as they all got acquainted with each other. Sky and Hou, like Dawn Star, were equally surprised that they were no longer slaves of Kun the Immortal Phoenix's spirit binding.
"I thought this nightmare would never end," Sky said glumly. "We were robbed of our free will for twenty long years."
Henpecked Hou, who all things considered looked like a cook, removed his headband and nodded in agreement. "We weren't dead, but not exactly alive either. We could see tormented spirits roam throughout this place. I would choose my plump plum of a wife's screaming and chastising over such a terrible fate any day. And that's saying something!"
"So when Kun poisoned the Water Dragon, he turned on you and killed you three?" Sing queried.
"We weren't dead, just seriously wounded. He wouldn't let us die so easily; he bound our spirits to Dirge as soon as he ended Sun Li's rule. He then proceeded to draw blood from all three of us to use against the Water Dragon." Dawn Star touched her left set of ribs. "I can still feel the pain from the scar sometimes."
Hearing her say that made Sing hurt inside. What kind of a monster would do such a thing? It hurt him to see Dawn Star so sad. "I'm sorry, Dawn Star."
She forced a smile and shook her head. "It's not your fault. But I appreciate your kindness. What hurt the most what the fact that I knew Kun all my life as someone who was caring and compassionate, but he since he came back from the dead, he changed. He came back cold and cruel. I suppose Sun Li's betrayal must have affected his resolve in a negative way. But I did not anticipate that he would follow down my father's path of lusting for power."
"Sun Li was your father?" Sing said in disbelief. His head turned to Wild Flower. "You never told me that!"
"Oh…I guess I forgot to mention…" Wild Flower shifted away from his gaze uncomfortably.
"A friend of ours revealed that Master Li was my father," Dawn Star continued, trying to choke back tears. "I never knew my father, but I imagined him to be kind and caring. But then I found out that my father was too twisted with ambition to care about his family."
"Aw, Dawn Star," Sing stammered. "I don't know what to say…"
"I said it was alright, he's dead now and I've learned to move on. But I would like to know more about you. Where are you from and how did you end up with Kang and Wild Flower? Most importantly, how did you manage to free us?"
Everyone's attention shifted to Sing. He felt a bit awkward being the center of attention as he was more accustomed to keeping to himself. He took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts together.
"Well, I came to know Wild Flower my whole life. She told me Kun made her an outcast a couple of weeks after he defeated your father and had nowhere to go. She went into custody under a kind man named Ki Tong. I was born not too long after Sun Li's defeat but was orphaned early on. Ki Tong and Wild Flower found me as an infant all alone just outside Tien's Landing. Tong took me in and when I was old enough, he told me that my parents were killed by Rat demons as they were strolling in the forest near Tien's Landing with me in their arms. Wild Flower and Ki Tong happened to be there when my parents were killed and saved me from the demons. Since then, Ki Tong was like a father to me and trained me in the ways of the martial arts and Wild Flower became sort of like an older sister."
"What about Kang?" Sky asked.
"We ran into Kang five years ago when Wild Flower and I were touring Phoenix Gate. We heard an explosion coming from one of the neighborhoods so we went to investigate. On our way, we saw Kang running like a maniac with his hat was on fire. We helped him and it turns out that he was working on an experiment for the Emperor. It somehow backfired and exploded, killing the Imperial supervisors. We knew the Emperor would hunt him down so we promised to help him go into hiding."
"Force me to build nonsense invention, will they?" Kang's said indignantly. "Next time I'll put Dragon Power in their food!"
Dawn Star chuckled softly. "Kang still seems to leave craters behind everything he does."
"Oh, you should see what happened the last time he tried to cook!" Wild Flower joked, rolling her eyes.
Everyone laughed. It felt good to see everyone in a lighter mood.
"So where is your Master Tong now?" Hou asked.
Sing and Wild Flower frowned.
"He's…fallen ill," Wild Flower said. "He's resting in our home in a remote area of the Golden Delta province."
"I don't mean to sound ungrateful," Sky began. "But why did you go out of your way to free us when you could be finding a cure for your master?"
"Yes, and for that matter I think it is time you told us how you freed us," Dawn Star added.
"Well…" Sing paused for a moment. "We weren't originally planning to come here or free you in the first place. It just so happened that freeing you was part of our mission."
"Your…mission?" Hou repeated slowly.
"Yes, our mission. See, Chai Ka returned from the heavens with a message from the Celestial Bureaucracy with a solution that could potentially save my Master. The solution was the Dragon Amulet, which was in the hands of Emperor Kun. If we could get our hands on it, we could use it to focus our power in such a way where I could transfer chi from any living being into my Master's body, helping him fight off this terrible disease. So, we infiltrated the Palace and attempted to steal it. We succeeded."
Sing pulled out the amulet from his shirt for all to see.
"I don't believe it, how did you manage to get through all those guards and the Emperor of all people and not get detected?" Sky demanded in disbelief.
"That's just it, I did get caught," Sing explained. "I made my way into the large room where Emperor Sun Hai hung the Water Dragon's body. That was where the amulet was. But Emperor Kun caught me and I thought that was the end for me."
"So what happened?" Dawn Star pressed eagerly.
Sing sighed and began to explain his side of the story.
Emperor Kun the Immortal Phoenix raised his hand and fired a stream of energy that struck Sing square in the chest, sending him backwards until he hit the ground. Grimacing in pain, he scrambled to find a way to escape, but the last of his hope left him. Then, his hand brushed against a bottle of liquid near in his pocket.
"I don't know what you are trying to prove, intruder," Kun sneered. "But if you wanted death, you may as well just asked for it to save yourself the delay. I'll make this quick and painless."
Kun began to raise his hand again to finish Sing off, but he whipped around and unleashed the contents of the bottle, Red liquid splashed across the surprised Emperor's face. Kun backed off, screaming as if he was suffering. His body began to flash in all sorts of colors, indicating that his power was diminishing. Sing was about to take the opportunity to leave, but something caught the corner of his eye: Kun's chest opened up to reveal a precious green gem. The Emperor, who was still screaming in agony from the defiling of the blood, looked distracted.
The Water Dragon's essence! Sing thought. If I could take the power, I could free Wild Flower's friends!
Wasting no time, Sing reached at the essence and grabbed it with his hand. With all his strength, he tugged as hard as he could. His first pull wasn't enough, but on his second, the heart detached from Kun's body, causing him further pain. Sing held the Water Dragon's heart tightly as he could already feel the power surging through every part of this body, mind and spirit. He closed his eyes, concentrating hardon it and the heart began to glow. In his head, images of all the people that Kun has bounded with this power flooded his mind. In one big flash, the images were gone giving him the assurance that the bindings were reversed. Before he could make another move, he felt a sharp kick to the stomach. He landed hard on his back and lost his handle on the essence. It flew out of his hands and fell into the abyss where the Water Dragon's bleeding used to go that rejuvenated an Empire in drought.
"NO!" Emperor Kun yelled as he ran to the edge of the cliff.
He gritted his teeth in anger and got up. He turned his attention to Sing and approached him, hungry for his blood. Sing got up just in time to see a punch thrown straight for him. In a flash, he barely caught it. Without thinking, Sing, on instinct,made a counterattack. He didn't know why he did it, it just...happened. A series of blows disoriented Kun, then in one final move, Sing summoned all his strength and delivered one last strike into the Emperor's midsection. He didn't even try to block it. The wind was knocked out of him as his eyes were full of surprise. He fell backwards and plunged off the side of the cliff, following after the essence into the abyss...
Sing fell to the ground, completely distraught about what just happened.For a moment, he refused to believe that he did what he just did. He scrambled frantically for the amulet, only to find it on the ground nearby. He picked it up and made his way out. He stopped for a brief moment and glanced at the massive blue dragon that hung lifelessly on the wall. He bowed at it.
"That was for you, Great Mistress."
"He was the perfect warrior, trained by the Glorious Strategist himself. In terms of skill, there was no way I could have defeated him. I am not exactly the best fighter myself but he didn't even try to block my attack. My attack hit home and I sent him off the ledge and into the abyss where the Water Dragon's heart fell. Spirit Monk or not, therewas no way he could have survived that fall." Sing concluded.
"You killed the Emperor…a god?" Dawn Star gasped in awe. "Impossible…"
"I know it sounds crazy, but that's what happened. At least I was able to reverse his binding on all of you." Sing concluded and buried his face in his hands, not entirely sure he believes it himself. They all sat there in a daze, completely consumed by the tale they were just told.
"I assaulted the throne, I'm pretty much a wanted criminal now," Sing added.
"But…"
Wild Flower began to say something but she was cut off when sound came from the portal. The blades on the entrance flew aside and a bright white light flashed. Everyone jumped up and prepared themselves for what was to come. Dawn Star and Sky readied their swords that they found scattered on the ground. Without warning, a swarm of spirits rushed out of the portal and caught them all off guard before they had time to react. It was hopeless. They were too overwhelmed as the spirits of the dead piled up on each of them. No matter how hard they struggled, they couldn't move. They heard a slicing sound followed by a loud crash. Every one of them prayed that it was not the sound of companion being cut down by a spirit.
Suddenly, a vacuum from the portal began sucking all the spirits back towards their origin. The screams of the dead spiraled into silence as they disappeared into the twilight. When the last one was swallowed, the blades closed again. The group got up and brushed themselves off, wondering what was going on.
"Is everyone okay?" Hou asked as he looked around to each living person.
"Yes, but what was that?" Dawn Star said.
(With the emperor gone, there is no shepherd of the dead. The dead may have tried to break out of the spirit realm,) Chai Ka explained.
"Somebody must have closed the portal; but who?" Sky wondered
"You can thank me later," a voice echoed from behind one of the pillars near the portal.
"Who's there?" Sing commanded.
A figure in yellow noble clothing walked out from behind the pillar. He had a sword in hand and sported a yellow hat. He walked down the stairs and stood in front of them all. His eyes stare down Dawn Star with a look of both sadness and joy.
"Ah, we finally meet, Dawn Star," the figure in yellow bowed.
"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Dawn Star asked suspiciously.
The man smiled. "Oh of course, you don't recognize me, just like my brother…your father."
Everyone was stunned at what the man just said. Dawn Star found this particularly shocking, but then it somehow came to her. "No, you can't be him…" Everyone else except Sing realized what was going on as well.
"Who is he, Dawn Star?" Sing asked.
Dawn Star's eyes locked onto the stranger's. "He's my uncle…Sun Kin…"